


I've Never Felt Like...

by elvenInvestigator



Series: When the Moon's Reaching Out to the Stars [1]
Category: Persona 3
Genre: Comedy, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29766819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elvenInvestigator/pseuds/elvenInvestigator
Summary: Yukari gets a part-time job at Wuck with a fellow S.E.E.S. member while trying to get Mitsuru to open up to her about her feelings.This is a prequel to my other work "Girls' Night." It takes place after Kyoto.
Relationships: Kirijo Mitsuru/Takeba Yukari
Series: When the Moon's Reaching Out to the Stars [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189415
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	I've Never Felt Like...

“Sooo… Wuck?”

Yukari sighed as she turned on her heels to face Sakuya and Junpei. They had cornered her at her shoe locker after she dodged them out of the classroom to avoid their pestering, but she wasn’t fast enough, it seemed. She thought they’d get the hint after trying to get her to go out for food literally all day, but, hell, boys were stupid. 

“I can’t today, okay? Sheesh, leave me alone,” she grumbled, stepping one way to move past Junpei as he strafed right into her path again.

“There’s no archery practice today, and I doubt you have a date,” he sneered down at her. “Come on, chill with us.”

Yukari scoffed and tried to pop the brim of his hat down, but he batted her hand away easily with his height advantage. “Shut up, Stupei. You want the truth?”

Sakuya raised an eyebrow as he shook his head at their antics. “Uh, sure? It’s not that big of a deal if you can’t.”

She threw her hands up in the air dramatically, as if being over the top about it made it any less embarrassing. “I’m broke! Kyoto bled me dry!” Between buying snacks for the girls’ room, souvenirs, and little gifts for Mitsuru, her purse was now empty, save for a few cobwebs.

“I can just buy food for you, you know. I’m loaded from Tartarus,” Sakuya smiled at her while Junpei laughed quietly to himself like the dickhead he was.

Yukari rolled her eyes. Sakuya meant well; he always did, but he, for _some_ reason, did not think that maybe he shouldn’t take all the yen in Tartarus. It was probably due to the fact that he usually brought Mitsuru, Aigis, and Junpei with him, and two of the squad definitely didn’t need the money. But shouldn’t he know _she_ needs some? Ugh. 

“I don’t need your charity!” She barked and crossed her arms. “I’d rather get it myself.”

Sakuya held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, I know you like to be independent,” he said softly. 

At that, she only huffed. He was impossible to stay annoyed with for more than two minutes. Junpei, on the other hand…

“Oh, please,” Junpei groaned. “If Mitsuru-senpai offered, you’d accept in a heartbeat.”

God, she hoped her face didn’t go as pink as her ears felt. As she opened her mouth to protest, she caught a glimpse of red.

“Did I hear my name?” Came Mitsuru’s lovely, soothing voice from behind her friends. The slight playfulness in her tone made Yukari’s stomach flutter for a moment. Ever since the riverbank, which wasn’t long ago at all, it delighted her to see Mitsuru happy. Every time her full lips turned up into that gentle smile… Now she was sure her face was as hot as her ears. 

“Hey, senpai!” Sakuya turned and waved pleasantly. “We’re trying to convince Yukari to come to Wuck with us. You two want to come?”

You two? She leaned slightly to peer through her fellow juniors to see Akihiko standing next to Mitsuru and frowned. She didn’t hold any true dislike for Akihiko, but he occasionally got in the way. 

“Hell yeah, I’d love a burger,” he almost growled, way more intensely than necessary. Leave it to their senpai to be over the top at all times. 

There was a small moment of silence while everyone stared at Mitsuru, who seemed to be lost in thought. “Hm?” She glanced about them curiously. “Oh, no, thank you. I’m alright.”

“Ah, forget about her. She never goes out for food. Come on, men,” Akihiko grabbed Sakuya and Junpei by their shoulders and pushed them out the door as Sakuya helplessly waved goodbye, leaving Yukari and Mitsuru standing a little awkwardly by the shoe lockers. 

Yukari tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat as she took a step closer to Mitsuru. “Wanna walk home together? Unless you’re busy,” she asked tentatively. Her fingers gripped the handle of her book bag tighter as she anticipated being shot down. 

“I would greatly enjoy that, Yukari,” Mitsuru practically purred. It was incredibly obvious to Yukari that Mitsuru adored her, as she was able to catch every little shy smile, every little blush, every time she averted her eyes at the perfect moment. It was infectious. While Yukari had always found her attractive, almost annoyingly so, she never thought she’d find herself fighting off the urge to make her flush and stammer with sly comments every five seconds, like when she had complimented her at Yakushima or when she accidentally hit her hard with the bath invitation.

It didn’t bother her that she was a woman. It was much worse that Yukari had practically been fixated on anything and everything she could have done wrong for the better part of the year. Junpei would certainly make fun of her for that, and Sakuya would probably shake his head with a knowing smile. Fuuka would be sweet as could be about it, and Aigis would ask her what a lesbian was. Well, she probably knew at this point. Ken? He’d just keep drinking his disgusting black coffee, and Akihiko would maybe punch her in the face. Lord help her if the dog commented. 

As they walked out the front door of Gekkoukan, a sea breeze pushed its way past her, blowing her hair back and making Mitsuru’s billow elegantly. Yukari desperately wanted to play with it, to see if it felt soft and thick like she imagined. She sighed. How was she this far gone so quickly? And what if Mitsuru didn’t actually want to be more than friends?

“Are you alright, Yukari?” Mitsuru questioned sweetly. Her intense brown eyes searched her face carefully, but Yukari waved her off. 

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine!” She dismissed it casually. The look on Mitsuru’s face told her she’d worry about it anyway, so she decided she had better turn it into something else. “I was just thinking about how I could make some money. I’m running dangerously low on funds.” 

“Is there something you need? I could always—“

“No!” She cut her off. While Yukari certainly didn’t mind Mitsuru’s generosity, taking her money made her feel a bit like she was taking advantage of her feelings. “I’d just like to have a way to get some in case I ever need something. Or want something.” She kicked the concrete as they walked. “I have a bad habit of going on crazy shopping sprees.” 

Mitsuru let out a low chuckle, barely audible over the click clacking of her heels against the ground. “Hm, let me think. I could pay you to help Iori with his homework,” she joked. The corners of her lips curled into that gorgeous smile again.

For a moment, Yukari was lost in her happiness, but processing what she said pulled her out of it. “Help _Junpei_ with his homework? Not enough money in the world, sorry.” She tried her best not to sound too incredulous, knowing Mitsuru was humoring her. 

“Hah, it was worth a try,” she laughed softly. They fell silent again, but it wasn’t awkward at all. Mitsuru’s presence was enough. 

Then again, hearing her laugh and teasing her was funner. Yukari bumped her with her shoulder, making her teeter on her heels. 

“H-hey!” Mitsuru gasped, swinging one of her arms out to steady herself. “Y-Yukari!”

With a giggle, Yukari grabbed Mitsuru’s elbow to help her catch her balance before she stumbled into oncoming traffic. Now _that_ would be hard to explain. 

Mitsuru huffed indignantly, running her fingers through her hair. “I should have known your friendship was too good to be true. You’re evil,” she whispered, her humored smirk obvious in her voice.

Ah, another hint at how she loved their relationship, but Yukari wondered if she was trying to tell her in a roundabout way she was afraid of getting hurt. “Yeah, I’m actually an assassin after the Kirijo heiress.”

They laughed together, stepping closer to one another. The conversation drifted onto the school day: the lessons that day, if anyone had gotten into trouble in class, what homework Yukari had. Every so often, Mitsuru’s long skirt brushed against Yukari’s thigh, or her hair would tickle her shoulder. It made her shiver in the slight November chill, and when they finally reached the monorail, she was glad to escape it. 

As they sat down, Mitsuru awkwardly tapped her shoulder. “Yukari?”

“Yes, senpai?” She responded cautiously, eyeing her with a little worry. Mitsuru seemed nervous for seemingly no reason. 

She cleared her throat. “Would you like to stop somewhere? Perhaps I could treat you to something.”

“That sounds nice, but I won’t let you buy me something!” She almost winced at her own hypocrisy but managed a warm smile instead. She didn’t _have_ to get something, but spending time with her senpai was… important to her. If she had accepted the boys’ offer, she wouldn’t be sitting next to the prettiest girl at Gekkoukan now, right?

“Do you have any suggestions for where we should go?” Mitsuru asked, one of her fingers twirling a red curl. Yukari had rarely seen her play with her hair before. 

“Hmm… I’m not very hungry, but I could go for something sweet. We could go to the Sweet Shop at Iwatodai Station,” she suggested. That sounded so good right now. 

“I do love desserts. Lead the way,” she said with a satisfied look on her face, crossing her arms. “When we get there, I mean.”

Yukari giggled before falling into silence and turned her eyes to the window. The afternoon sun glittered and gleamed off the deep blue waves harshly, making her squint, but she couldn’t look away. She didn’t know why people were so captivated by water, but she certainly fell under its spell every day she rode the train. Perhaps it was the mystery of it. Yukari likened it to Tartarus. Just as the endless floors of Tartarus hid terrible secrets, so too did the dark blanket on the surface of the ocean. What if there were many towers beneath it, in which one descended to the depths of hell instead of rising to the heavens? Squids and sharks roamed their halls instead of shadows, waiting to swallow up the poor unsuspecting swimmer. And at the bottom, megalodons and krakens waged war at the bidding of Godzilla, trapped in battle until one came out on top. Then they would ascend to enslave mankind!

She shuddered and considered telling Mitsuru about this horrific thought, but it came to her as she glanced her way that it was highly unlikely and stupid. Instead, Mitsuru seemed to be wrapped up in her own mind, gazing past her as if she was looking for someone, her brow furrowed. Her eyes unfocused and refocused on hers, long lashes fluttering as she blinked several times. The light filtering through the windows accentuated her features wonderfully. Yukari smiled, and Mitsuru returned it. 

“Something on your mind, Mitsuru-senpai?” She whispered, feeling like if she raised her voice, the moment would be ruined. Her heart was thumping. 

“Mm,” hummed Mitsuru as she turned to look back at the ocean. “Maybe.”

Yukari shifted in her seat. “Want to tell me about it?”

The monorail was stopping now, and she hoped inertia would somehow fling the two of them together, even if they braced themselves against it. It did not grant her wish. 

“I’ll tell you another time,” Mitsuru stated as they left their seats, leaving her stomach rustling with butterflies. 

The walk to the strip was uneventful until Wuck was in sight. Yukari tried her best to look inside while remaining inconspicuous, not wanting to be spotted here after shooting her friends down. Junpei was the first she saw, his hat sticking out from other patrons. Then she saw white hair, blue, dark muted teal, blonde. Okay, so he was still in line with Sakuya and Akihiko… and tiny Fuuka and Aigis?! When did they recruit the rest of the girls to their side? Aigis must have been scanning for Ryoji, and she was looking right at them!

“Oh, look,” Mitsuru lifted her hand to point them out. “Everyone is—“

“I see that! Up the stairs! Go, go, go!” Yukari put her hands on Mitsuru’s back and began pushing her to and up the staircase, feeling her tense and straighten up like a statue. Touching her like this sent electricity up Yukari’s spine, but jerking away would be extremely awkward, right? Besides, escaping was of the utmost priority!

When they reached the second floor, she withdrew her hands ever so slowly, grimacing at the wrinkles she made in her blouse. Her fingers darted out to smooth them, just to smooth them. Definitely not to feel her warmth one last time, ugh…

Mitsuru gradually turned towards her, her cheeks tinged a color that matched her hair. “S-so,” she paused to clear her throat. Yukari prepared herself to explain. “Shall we?” One of her long arms pulled on the door handle of the entrance of the Sweet Shop, holding it open for her. How charming.

Yukari stepped in as she thanked her, taking note of how crowded the place was after school, and headed for the counter, her eyes sweeping over all the treats. She was looking for one thing and one thing only: strawberry daifuku. The beautiful little things sat upon the top shelf, calling out to her, tempting her to buy all of their tart, delicious glory, and she considered going into debt for every single one. Mitsuru sidled up beside her, practically radiating anxiety.

She was chewing on her lip in full concentration mode, warm brown eyes flitting about the display. “Yukari,” she murmured.

“Yes?”

“What should I… What are you getting?”

Yukari tapped the glass with a manicured tail. “Strawberry daifuku. Do you need help picking something?” 

Mitsuru nodded. Oh, what a good opportunity to show her how well she knew her!

“Okay, let’s see… You like chocolate, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“What about…” Finding the perfect choice was proving harder than she first thought. Yukari figured she’d pretend to enjoy whatever she picked out, but she wanted Mitsuru to be genuine. There had to be _something_ …

“Oh! Mint chocolate daifuku? I’ve never seen that before, but you should try it!” Yukari pointed out excitedly. 

“Okay,” Mitsuru swallowed. “How many are you getting?”

Yukari put her hands on her hips and looked up pensively. “I’ll limit myself to three, I think.”

“Would you mind reserving a table for us? I can order for you,” Mitsuru said with newfound confidence.

“Uh, you can order for me, but let me give you the cash.” She began to reach into her bag for her wallet.

“That won’t be necessary, Yukari.” Was she smirking?

Yukari scoffed and shoved some yen into her hand. “Yes, it _is_ necessary!” She grumbled, briskly stomping away before Mitsuru could try to get her to take it back. Slamming her bag on the table, she sat near the front, propping her elbows on the table and angrily resting her chin in her hands. 

Why did she have to be born such a hothead? Yukari knew people weren’t trying to annoy her at every turn, and they often meant well, but certain things just set her off. At least everyone at the dorm understood her well enough now to know that her blowing up on them didn’t mean she hated them. 

Her irritation subsided, she fixed her eyes on her senpai. Mitsuru seemed to be doing fine, just waiting in line behind another Gekkoukan girl that was much shorter than her. Yukari couldn’t help looking her up and down. How in the world did she deal with having that much hair, and why did she wear heels when she was already the tallest girl at school? She had the longest, most elegant legs, too, accentuated by her adorable high-waisted skirt that never showed too much but just enough for Yukari at the same time. Her gaze followed the feminine curve of her hips, imagining she was in her swimsuit again, skin pale and lovely and soft, until she was staring at her butt. Now she was the one blushing, snapping her eyes away to a spot on the table that she decided she would look at until Mitsuru showed up. An eternity seemed to pass as she battled away memories of rubbing sunscreen on Mitsuru’s shoulders, a time that seemed so much… easier.

“Yukari,” Mitsuru purred happily as she set down five strawberry rice cakes and her money, of course, in front of her, sitting down across from her. Yukari noticed she only got herself three. 

“Senpai,” she groaned, trying her best not to scold her for not using her money. 

“I wanted to do something nice for you, Yukari, since you’ve been so good to me.” Mitsuru looked mighty pleased with herself. 

She was starting to think her name was Mitsuru’s favorite thing to say. “Okay, okay. I’ll let you have it. But why did you get me five and three for yourself?”

“Ah, well,” Mitsuru took a moment to cross her legs, getting comfortable. “Allow me to explain. I wanted to surprise you, and I thought you might not be happy with more than five, so I settled with that amount. For myself, I was only going to get two because if I enjoyed it, I would want to share my experience with you and give you the second,” she stopped speaking to chuckle. “Then I thought that if I did like it, I would more than likely want more than one, so I purchased a third. I thought about four, but since you already have five, I worked out that you would not accept more than one of mine.”

Yukari must have made a face because Mitsuru started to look uncertain. “In the future, don’t worry so much about it.”

Now Mitsuru sighed and looked down, crossing one arm over her chest to grip the other, and Yukari’s heart dropped. “I’m… sorry,” her senpai whispered. 

“No, no!” Yukari started frantically. “You made the right choice! I just meant I would have been happy with whatever you decided!” Mitsuru was looking at her now at least, and God, she doubted she meant to look like a sad puppy, but it was tearing her _apart_. “Mitsuru-senpai, what you did was very sweet. I really appreciate it, okay? I promise.”

Finally, she smiled, and Yukari let the breath she didn’t know she was holding go with a nervous laugh. “Anyway, try it!”

Mitsuru picked one up and examined it closely, seeming slightly unsure, so Yukari took a bite out of one of hers. The taste was slightly sweet with a delightful burst of tart strawberry, making her sigh with joy. She had to be careful with these, or she’d get addicted. 

Mitsuru carefully sunk her teeth into hers before her face lit up with pure bliss. “Yu-” she started before cutting herself off, probably to be polite.

Yukari couldn’t help smiling. “Yeah?”

She managed to swallow through her excitement. “I love it! Please, try one!” Mitsuru was grinning now, so big that even the corners of her eyes were crinkling with happiness.

Yukari did just that. It was chocolatey for sure, sweet but slightly bitter, with the smooth taste of cool mint throughout. The flavor wasn’t her cup of tea, but it certainly wasn’t bad. “Wow, this tastes exactly like something you would like, Mitsuru-senpai.”

Mitsuru tilted her head inquisitively. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know, you’ve got your ice powers, and mint tastes kinda cold. If you know what I mean,” Yukari tried to explain.

Mitsuru laughed. “Actually, I think I do. Well said, Yukari.”

Next, Yukari made her try one of hers, and she died laughing at Mitsuru’s face puckering at the unexpected sourness, which made Mitsuru start choking on it as she fell into a fit of giggles. Yukari tried to reach out to her in concern, still laughing, but embarrassed Mitsuru waved her off with a wheezing confirmation that she was okay.

After they’d calmed down, Yukari cleared her throat. “You know, maybe I should get a part time job. Somewhere around here has to be hiring, don’t you think?”

Mitsuru furrowed her brow. “I would assume so, but are you sure? You would have to juggle school, your club, S.E.E.S., and a job.”

“Oh, I could do it for sure! You know how hard working I am.”

“Mm, I know... we also wouldn’t be able to spend as much time together…” Her voice got quieter and quieter, as if she wasn’t sure if she really wanted Yukari to hear.

Yukari wasn’t sure how she ever thought Mitsuru had a bad bone in her body when the truth was she was a very tall, very sweet, very shy teddy bear that needed a lot of hugs. “Senpai, wherever I work, I promise you can come and visit as much as you want.”

Mitsuru’s warm expression made the butterflies come back. “Thank you, Yukari. Are you about ready to return to the dorm?”

Yukari looked down, realizing all of her rice cakes were gone. Maybe she was hungrier than she thought. “Yeah, sure.”

A colder wind than earlier nipped her nose as they strolled out of the store. Yukari made them check all the stores on the second and third floors to look for places that needed workers, but she seemed to be out of luck. As they were about to descend the stairs, she heard familiar voices.

“Oh man, I’m so stuffed! You might have to carry me home, Akihiko-senpai,” Junpei joked.

“Junpei-kun, maybe you shouldn’t eat so much in one sitting. What if you hurt yourself?” Fuuka suggested.

“Come on, Fuuka-chan! I’m a growing boy!”

“They’re still here?” Yukari hissed, snatching Mitsuru’s arm to keep her from walking down the stairs.

Mitsuru just looked at her as the conversation below continued with Aigis telling Junpei that he had “possibly undergone epiphyseal closure.” Yukari peered over the railing, hoping that they weren’t loitering and instead moving along, only to make direct eye contact with a very surprised and confused Fuuka. Desperately, she pressed her index finger to her lips before motioning to Fuuka to get the hell out of there.

“Epifizzy what now?” Junpei asked, befuddled.

Sakuya sighed. “Let’s hope he has. Otherwise he’ll be as tall as Tartarus before third year.”

“U-um, let’s go home before Junpei-kun gets sick..!” Fuuka pleaded, starting to quickly walk in the direction of the dorm. While none of them responded to what she said, they all followed her anyway, much to Yukari’s relief.

“Okay, now we go,” Yukari stated, letting her hand drop from Mitsuru’s arm. Their fingers brushed against each other, making the breath she was sucking in become obsolete. “S-sorry.”

Mitsuru coughed and almost jogged down the stairs, waiting for Yukari at the bottom. She went down each step slowly to let the tension in the air fizzle out as she tried to think of something to say, but ultimately, she didn’t come up with anything interesting. 

“Did you have fun today?”

“Of course.”

Yukari smiled up at her. “I’m glad.”

Mitsuru’s eyes fixated on something, and she pursed her lips for a moment. “I have found a place that’s hiring, Yukari.”

Yukari followed her gaze to a sign that read “HELP WANTED PART-TIME” in Wuck’s window. 

“You can’t be serious.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I am terribly sorry for how long this took. I told myself I wanted it done by Valentine's Day but didn't start it until then, and then I did a bunch of other stuff and kept putting it off. But here it is! I'm calling the protagonist Shiomi Sakuya because there's no way I can use what I named him in game. This is meant to be funny and cute, so I hope you enjoyed it! I'll try very hard to get the rest of it out much quicker because now I just want these two to kiss a lot.


End file.
